I need suggestions to help with sleep.

I’m on day 3, cold turkey and all the recruits in my body are turning on me... I woke up at 2 am, im sneezing I have a headache and I can’t fall back asleep. I can deal with feeling anxious and aggravated but not if I can’t sleep... advice welcome; no dairy it destroys my stomach.

Hi KMarie!! Congratulations on your tremendous decision to quit smoking, and the wonderful progress you have made thru day 3!! That is an accomplishment to be very proud of!!

Insomnia can be part and parcel of withdrawal & early quit. It was probably my very least favorite part, and unfortunately because of my own dumbness, I experienced it multiple times (serial quitter here, until I finally got it right )

There is melatonin that can assist with sleep, and also various teas. I'm sure others will have suggestions. Just know that it is very normal.

Myself, I caught up on bookwork that I'd procrastinated on, and also some reading... quiet activities to not disturb the household, but keeping busy since sleep wasn't coming and I didn't want to toss and turn and keep thinking about smoking/not smoking, which was a 24/7 brain activity in the beginning.

This is a temporary condition, and when sleep returns it will be more restful than that you had as a smoker, and you'll also be able to get that extra 5-10 minutes in the a.m. without nicotine addiction forcing you to jump out of bed to feed it . This you have to look forward to, and it makes the first days/weeks of quitting all so totally worth hanging on tight for!

Best wishes to you! Please keep reading & posting, and learning about this addiction and asking questions~

Thank you so much, I don’t feel so great today as I am a solid 7-8 hour a night girl... I’ll try not to kill anyone today lol. I could try melatonin but there has to be something I can do so I’m not waking up with a headache and incapable of sleep. I appreciate the support this group offers, especially since this has been my dirty little secret.. and support would mean admitting I was smoking (a pack a day) in the first place.

Congratulations on your decision to quit smoking and your first days. Unfortunately, sleep issues are part of the physical withdrawal from nicotine and your body adjusting to life without it. Here is information you might find helpful: Early Withdrawal Symptoms . You might try a swig of cherry juice, or perhaps take two Benadryl (if you can take it). Antihistamines have a side effect of drowsiness. It WILL pass, just like all the other physical symptoms. Take a nap if you can, even a quick 15 minute snooze is a good idea.

Thank you for all this information. I will be looking into the steps and I like the lemon idea, I was considering perhaps I would buy cinnamon sticks and puff on one when I’m super pissy and I can’t shake it.

I feel this community will help hold me accountable, I’m not going to lie... I’m miserable. I’m walking 10-13 miles a day and I can’t wait to get over the hump. Cigarettes have been my escape from social events or people or just to get some “air” and time away.. now I don’t know how to exit these situations... ugh.

You can STILL take that break. You might "need a breath of air," or a visit to the Ladies Room. Just go where the smokers aren't! Take a quick walk around the parking lot, or around the block, or just pause and look at the sky. Smoking is not required!

I have found that I am significantly more sensitive to caffeine since I quit smoking, I had to cut my coffee intake in the morning and discontinue any caffeine after around 3:00 in the afternoon. I lost quits in the past because I did not take breaks, so to speak, I was afraid to go outside since that was the only place I smoked. One I realized that I could go outside and take deep breaths and NOT smoke...it was eye opening and gave me a way to take a break without feeling deprived. I cannot take two benadryl because it has a reverse effect but ONE will knock me out and I will usually sleep through the night.

Just a heads up...if you have been smoking a pack of cigarettes a day...it is very, very likely that some people already knew that because they could SMELL it. We did not realize that no matter what we did, the smell was there. Like Youngatheart.7.4.12 advises...go to where the smokers are not and there are a LOT more of those places these days than there used to be. You can do this...I have heard some people had success with flavored toothpicks. I just ate Sour Patch Kids and frozen fruit and I had lemons available but I never bit into one, rind and all...the idea of it shook me enough to throw off a crave. I was sure that I would have pieces of the rind stuck in my teeth for hours and that was not an appealing idea.

You sound like you are really bringing your A Game and that's wonderful, you CAN do this and it WILL get easier. No one can do it FOR you but no one can make you smoke either.

There's a product called "Natural Calm" you might look into. Essentially a magnesium supplement. I use it for leg cramps (works wonders for that), but it has other benefits and I've been told helping sleep is one of them. If you decide to try it, just start with half the dosage as it also tends to act as a diuretic.

Kmarie82 It really sounds like you are feeling the effects of withdrawal and it WILL get better...sometimes one day at a time is too long and we have to cut back to one hour or even one minute. I hope you are drinking lots of liquids and trying to do something physical...a walk, a bike ride, some form of exercise that will release some dopamine and help with those rough feelings.

I am glad that you were able to post...we are here and we have all been at the beginning, I think we all remember what it was like. I PROMISE you that it gets better.

If you are able to comment, you MUST be logged on. I will ask Mark if he can look into it. Remember to take deep breaths...deep breath IN and HOLD and then exhale very slowly through pursed lips, much like if you were smoking. Get some bubble juice to remind you to breathe that way.

WOW ten miles is awesome...is there any other kind of exercise you could do to change it up? Lift free weights, bike, swim. You do need to take care of yourself and feel better physically before you push too hard so you might consider binge watching some funny movies or TV shows...that releases dopamine as well.

Thinking of you and hoping that Mark can help with your log in issues.

Most smokers are dehydrated and mineral depleted... it's possible your headache is from dehydration. I had 3 days where I had this sinus headache that was borderline migraine but this was a couple of weeks into my quit and I narrowed it down to stopping the Chantix I was on cold turkey (or so I think). It may also be related to your monthly cycle. The bottom line is your body is learning all over again how to function without the poisons or the nicotine. One of the best peices of advise on here is to drink ice cold water out of a straw. Not only will it re-hydrate you daily but it gives you the satisfaction of pulling on the straw like you used to on a smoke. I bought one of the cups with a built in straw and carried it with me everywhere. Lots of water will also help your system flush out all the toxins.

I also put a meditation app on my phone so if I wake up in the middle of the night I can listen to a quit smoking mediatation or a sleep meditation with my earphones in. I haven't really needed it but I have it if I do!